Decating machine



Nov, 3, 1942. L. sLAGBooM ETAL 2,300,982

DECATING MACHINE Filed May 29, 1941 4 SheetSSheet l Man/af "wn/ Nov. 3,1942. 1 sLAGBooM ETAL DECATING MACHINE Filed May 29, i941 4 Sheets-Sheet2 MV i i vom NOV. 3, 1942- l.. sLAGBooM ETAL 2,300,982

DECATING MACHINE y Filed May 29, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 fi www "1m v Iffg I ,bwm

OO m

@WM/L Nov. 3, 1942. L. sLAGBooM E-rm.

DECATING MACHINE Filed May 29, 1941 4 sneetsheet 4 jfl? giova/ IPatented Nov. 3, 1942 Ducarme MACHINE Louis Slagboom id Sander Slagboom,Fair Application May 29, 1941, serialV No. 395,36?.y

Claims.

This invention relates to decating machines and has for animportantobject thereof the provision of a convenient means forcontinuously decating cloth. n

As pointed out in our prior application, Serial No. 286,378, filed July25, 1939, for Decating machines and method of decating, of which thisapplication is a continuation-impart, the process of decating cloth asheretofore carried out has been time-consuming and highly ineilicient.As previously carried out, decating consisted in winding the cloth,together with a felt blanket, upon the surface of a perforated steamingdrum. Following steaming, the cloth was removed from the drum and thenplaced upon either the same or a second drum, being reversed from end toend since, due tothe great mass of the material, it was, obviously,impossible to secure uniform treatment with a single steamingapplication. It will also'be obvious that underthis method the length ofclothwhich could be treated in any one operation was limited.

In accordance with the present invention, we provide means for' treatinggoods in any desired length and, furthermore, provide means whereby theextent of the treatment may be regulated to secure a wide variety ofeffects in the completed goods. Generally considered, the apparatus'constructed in accordance with our invention comprises a pair of endlessfelts betweenL which the cloth is passed, these felts passing over`steaming and vacuum compartments in such fashion that the goods areilrst steamed and then cooled and partially dried by drawing atmosphericair therethrough. Means are provided whereby the tension upon the feltsmay be regulated so that during their working passage they will providea uniform pressure onthe material. 'Means' are also providedfor insuringagainst any possible puckering of the felt since this would tend to markthe goods. In the accompanying drawings, in which we have illus trated apreferred form of the apparatus,

Fig. l is a side elevation of our decating machine;

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig.1:'

Fig. 4 is a sectional view through the treating chambers;

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view through a preferred form ofcloth-feeding roll;

Fig. 6 I s a section on line l-I of Fig. 5;

Fig. 'I is a partially diagrammatic sectional of fabric to be treatedand a stencil for patterning the surface of the material; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary illustration of a piece of fabric treated in thepresence of a stencil.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the numeral IIJgenerally designates a frame supporting an arched treating structure Scomposed of a series of individual chambers. These chambers are dividedinto steaming chambers II and vacuum chambers I2, there being aplurality of chambers in each group and the groups being arranged atopposite ends of the arched structure. The chambers II are eachconnected through an individual valved inlet I3 with a source of steamunder pressure while the chambers I2 are connected through similarinlets I4 with a vacuum pump. Associated with the arched treatingstructure S is a'pair of endless feits I5 and I6. Each of these feltspasses over .the arched structure from end to end thereof and 'at thatend of the arched structure formed by the vacuum chambers passes over adriving A geared thereto.

viewillustrating simultaneous feeding of a piece drum II and thenceabout a steam-heated dry-v ing drum I8. Y

Leaving the drying drum I8, the felt passes about suitable guide rollsI9, thence about a take-up roll 20, over a tension roll 2i., and thenceabout an idler' guide roll 22 to its arch-engaging run. As at presentillustrated, the take-up roll 20 is mounted in bearings 23 the supportsof which comprise nuts operating upon worms 24 simultaneously adjustablethrough a shaft 25 Tension roll 2|v is mounted in bearings 26 slidablein suitable guide frames 21. -These bearings are connected throughflexible elements 28 to adjustable counterweights 29 through which thepressure with which the felt-s will engage against the arched treatingsurface may be adjustably regulated. In its passage to the takeup roll20, or at some other convenient point immediately following its dryingby passage over drum I8, the felt is engaged by a suitable stretchingand positioning mechanism 30 which may conveniently comprise pairsI ofdiagonally placed rolls Il which forcibly engage the felt to shift thesame whenever the felt edges become displaced either through shrinkageor transverse displacement.l Such a structure isillustrated in the priorpatent to R. Hetherington, No. 2,082,799, June 8, 1937, for Clothguider, and forms no part of the present invention except in combinationwith the remaining mechanism. 1.

The drums I1 are shown as geared together and one of these through avariable transmission 33 which is prefrums is driven by motor 32 thesteam drums I8 to drive the same, the drum I'l foreach felt beingconnected to drive the drum I8 of the other of the felts in order thatthe drums may be given the proper direction of rotation.

That `end of the machine at which the drums i'l are disposed constitutesthe outlet end of the machine for treated cloth, and at the opposite endthereof the frame l supports a cloth letoif beam 35 and a spreader roll36. The spreader roll may be of any suitable construction, but it ispreferred that it be of that type shown in Figures and 6. In thesefigures the numeral 31 designates a stationary shaft supporting, throughsleeves 38 and guides 39, a plurality of longitudinal slats 40 whichcombine to form the outer surface of the roll. These slats 40 are inrelatively short sections and each is provided with a roller 4| engagingin a groove 42 in the periphery of a cam fixed to the stationary shaft31. The grooves of the cams at opposite sides of the center of the rollare oppositely inclined and the positions of these cams are such that ata given point of the rotation the slats at opposite sides ofthe rollcenter are caused to move outwardly, this point coinciding with thepoint of contact with the cloth in its passage about the roll and theoutward movement of the slats continuing as longV as the cloth isengaged with the roll.

At the opposite, or discharge, end of the machine a cloth take-up roll43 is provided, this roll being suitably driven through any preferredtype of slip drive which'will maintain a proper tension on the cloth asit leaves the felts. As at present shown, this roll is mounted uponbrackets 44 and is belt-driven as at 45 from the lower drum l1. Thetension of the belt drive is regulated as at 46 to admit of a. properslip to maintain the selected tension on the cloth.

It will be obvious that an apparatus of this type is not only much moreefficient in cloth treatment, from the standpoint of time losses anduniformity of the finished product, but likewise provides iiexibility inoperation which is altogether impossible with any prior apparatus forthis purpose. It is possible vto regulate the steaming period not onlyby regulating the speed of movement of the felts and, accordingly, ofthe material arranged therebetween, but likewise by varying thistreatment through cutting ofi.' one or more of the steam chambers.Similarly, the extent to which the material is cooled and/or dried inits treatment may be varied to the desired extent. Furthermore, thetension upon the felts ymay be regulated at will, thus enabling theoperator to produce a material which, in its nished state, is smooth andevenly treated or which is creped. It is likewise obviously possible topattern the goods by passing with the cloth a stencil indicated inconstruction lines in Figure 1 and in solid lines in Figure 7 at 41.The:

stencil will prevent the passage of the steam, thus providing treatedand untreated areas 48 and 49 in the finished material. Any suchtreatment would obviously be solid portions of the impossible under theold system due to the inability of the operator to exactly replace thestencil in its original position. Particular attention is directed tothe fact that means are provided whereby the tension on the material ismaintained constant. In the absence of some tensionregulating means,such as that illustrated at 2|, the tension upon the material wouldconstantly vary since a felt subjected to constant steaming andsubsequent drying is continuously varying in length and would,accordingly, exert varying pressures on the cloth. Since these pressureshave aconsiderable effect upon the finish, and it is obviously desirablethat the finish of a cloth piece be uniform, any apparatus of this typewhich fails to include some such means of regulation is substantiallyuseless.

Attention is directed to the fact that the guide rolls i1 and 22, andparticularly the guide rolls I1, should not be in pressure contact withone another since any pressure nip at these rolls would tend to alterthe effects produced by variations in the cloth treatment effected overthe arch S.

Since the construction illustrated is capable of considerablemodification without departing from the spirit of the invention, we donot wish to be understood as limiting ourselves thereto except ashereinafter claimed.

We claim:

1. In a decating machine, a treating arch comprising successivelyarranged steaming and vacuum zones, a pair of endless traveling feltstrained over said arch and successively passing over said zones, meansto control the effective lengths of said zones, a drying means for eachfelt, means to transversely stretch each felt following its coactionwith said drying means, and means to maintain a regulatable constanttension on each felt.

2. In a decating machine, a treating arch comprising successivelyarranged steaming and vacuum zones, a pair `of endless traveling feltstrained over said arch and successively passing over said zones, meansto control the effective lengths of said zones, a drying means for eachfelt, means to transversely stretch each felt following its coactionwith said drying means, means to maintain a regulatable constant tensionon each felt, and driving means for said felis including an infinitelyvariable speed transmission.

3. In a decating machine, a treating arch comprising successivelyarranged steaming and vacuum zones, said zones each comprising aplurality of chambers arranged in side to side relation and extendingtransversely of the arch, means to selectively render said chambersinoperative, a pair of endless traveling felts trained over said archand successively passing over said zones, a drying means for each felt,means to transversely stretch each felt following its coaction with saiddrying means, and means to maintain a regulatable constant tension oneach felt.

4. In a decating machine, a treating arch comprising successivelyarranged steaming and vacuum zones, said zones each comprising aplurality of chambers arranged in side to side relation and extendingtransversely of the arch, means to selectively render said chambersinoperative, a pair of endless traveling felts trained .over said archand successively passing over said zones, a drying means for each felt,means to transversely stretch each felt following its'coaction with saiddrying means, means to maintain a regulatable constant tension on eachfelt, and driving means for said felts including an infinitely variablespeed transmission.

5. In a decating machine, a treating arch comprising successivelyarranged steaming and vacuum zones, a pair of endless traveling feltstrained over said arch and successively passing over said zones, adrying means for each felt, ranged adjacent opposite ends of the arch,the means to transversely stretch each felt following rolls at that endof the arch at which the vacits coaction with said drying means, meansto uum zone is disposed being in spaced relation 'to maintain aregulatable constant tension on each one another. felt, driving meansfor said felts including an in- LOUIS SLAGBOOM. iiniteiy variable speedtransmission, and guiding 4 SANDER SLAGBOOM. means for said feltsincluding pairs of rolls ary

